Temptation

It's not often I update the website three times in one day, but today was one of those days.

First was just bringing it up to date as of this morning, updating the service schedule for this coming Sunday and removing outdated items.

At that point I thought I was done for the week but I wound up at St. Bartholomew's mid-afternoon because I was already in the neighborhood, and learned that tomorrow's Men's Breakfast had been canceled while we re-organize. Okay... in case anyone is making their plans based on the website I needed to update that immediately. Done.

Then a bit later I receive Fr. Davis' e-mail to the parish (all but the two of us now without e-mail) and there were a few more items that I had overlooked (including Bishop Provence's upcoming visit for Fr. Davis' installation as Rector) or hadn't noted, including the upcoming Ecumenical (musical) Event hosted by nearby St. Jude's (Roman Catholic) at which our own Schola Cantorum will be performing. Okay, another update needed. Done.

But then I read this item from Fr. Davis' e-mail: ''our very own gifted group who intend to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord" (Psalm 100).'' Ohh.. boy... was I ever tempted to comment.

Understand. many years ago I was a member of a semi-rural parish roughly our size, maybe a little larger, whose choir had named themselves with absolutely precise and accurate nomenclature: "The Joyful Noise." The first time I visited... well, forget that. I became a member and when I got to know these folks the emphasis I took changed radically from "Noise" to "Joyful." For a certainty they'll never be ranked as the world's greatest choir (at least here on Earth -- who knows about after?) but they were OUR choir, doing their best and we all really appreciated them!

But as a result, whenever I read "make a joyful noise unto the Lord" I end up praying, "Lord, would you please help me/us do a little better than that -- at least when strangers are listening?"